Wednesday, February 17, 2010

As some of you already know, I'm spending part of this week at the ACA (American Camp Association) National Conference in Denver, Colorado. I've always enjoyed camp conferences, just as much for the networking as for the learning.

As someone that spends quite a bit of time travelling around the country, I always look for ideas to take back home with me. I think that's one of my favorite things about camp conferences...where else can you gather with 1,000 other camp directors to share ideas about the wonderful experience of summer camp? To be totally honest, it is through these collaborations that we're able to bring new and exciting ideas to Camp Kanata each year.

So, you may be asking yourself, "Just what ideas has Forrest picked up in Denver?" Well, it would spoil the surprise if I told you right now! But rest easy, we will always try to bring new ideas to camp each summer while hanging onto the traditions that help define our culture.

So, my question to you is this. For those of you that grew up at Camp Kanata, what made it special for you? And, more importantly, what can we do to enhance that experience? I'm always open to hearing suggestions, and you can feel free to send them directly to me at forrest.perry@campkanata.org It could be a cool new game, a wacky new song, or a new activity that you learned from your friends.

I look forward to hearing your ideas. And more importantly, I look forward to seeing you this summer!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Monday, February 8, 2010

Hi there! As many of you know, I took over as the director of Camp Kanata this past September. I can’t begin to tell you just how excited I am by this opportunity! As someone that grew up at Camp Kanata, I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be. Beginning in 1989, I spent a total of 12 summers here as a camper, staff trainee, and staff member. After several years away, I truly do consider it a blessing to have the opportunity to serve as the director of Camp Kanata.

I don’t want to take too much of your time, but I did want to share a few bits of information with you. First, I want you to know that you have my utmost commitment to continue building on the great history of Camp Kanata. I have challenged our team to focus on making every aspect of camp the best that it can be, and while I know we will continuously be raising the bar, we are committed to providing the best possible experience for our campers and their families. Secondly, I wanted to let you know that as we are working to improve the Camp Kanata facility (yes, the rumor of a new water slide is true!), many of the traditions that have made Camp Kanata special for you and your child will still be here this summer…singing in the dining hall, devotions, games of Capture the Flag, The Blob…they’re still a part of the Camp Kanata culture!

While there will be some slight changes for the upcoming summer, my main focus is to strengthen the quality of the relationships that our campers have with each other and with their counselors. If anything, I hope that we will be adding quality elements to the camp experience for our campers and their families. Also, I wanted to remind all of you that our registration process is well underway. Registrations are coming in every day, and we do anticipate being at capacity this year. If anything has happened in the past that would give you hesitation about registering for the upcoming summer, please know that I’d enjoy the opportunity of hearing your concerns.

Finally, I wanted to extend the opportunity for you to reach out and share your comments, ideas, and thoughts with me as we prepare for the upcoming summer. Many of you have already emailed or called to share great stories, memories, and hopes for the future. Whether you’re a camper, the parent of a camper, a staff member, an alumnus, or a friend of Camp Kanata, I want to encourage you to share your feedback with me. I truly do enjoy speaking with our campers, parents, and alumni about what makes Camp Kanata special to them. You can reach me by phone at 919-556-2661, or you can email me at Forrest.Perry@campkanata.org. Thanks so much for your time. I look forward to seeing you this summer!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Some of you have been asking when registration for 2010 will begin . . . keep an eye on our website (www.campkanata.org) in late September--details will be available then. Registration will officially begin in October. This year we will start day camp registration in October as well. We will also email the information to anyone who is on our email list. If you are not already receiving emails from Kanata and would like to, please go to our website and click the link to sign up for emails.

We also offer Mini Camps (weekend overnight camp) at various times between December and April. In May we will offer a Family Camp Weekend. Details for all these events will be on our website as they are available.

It has been a great summer at Camp Kanata! We hope you had a great one as well and we wish you the best for a great school year! Thank you so much for sharing your children with Camp Kanata--we look forward to seeing you again next summer, if not before!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

So last night our evening program was an outside event and about 15 minutes into the activity it began to rain a little. Some of our staff started to radio in to ask what we were going to do if it continued to rain. Since there was no lightning or thunder I decided lets just "ride it out" and enjoy the rain. What started out as a sprinkle turned into a downpour that lasted for the next 30 minutes. By the end of the evening everyone was soaking wet, some were a little muddy but most importantly everyone was happy and laughing.

I often wonder at what point in our life do we decide that it is not okay to stand outside in the rain? As a almost 40 year old I have to tell you that it is still fun to play in the rain! Next time it starts to rain go outside and enjoy it. Also, forget the rain coat, its more fun without one.

Hope you are having a great summer and we look forward to seeing you soon at Camp Kanata.

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Camp Kanata

Thanks for stopping by and for your interest in Camp Kanata. We are a co-ed YMCA resident camp that serves children age 6-15. Camp Kanata is located on 150 acres of wooded rolling hills outside of Raleigh, NC. We were recently voted the #1 Sleepaway Camp by readers of Carolina Parent Magazine and voted a "best of the Triangle" by readers of Independent Magazine.